Steph Curry and the Warriors breathed a sigh of relief with a huge 107-88 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals to even up the series with the Boston Celtics and salvage a game at Chase Center.
Curry, who followed up a 34-point Game 1 performance with 29 points in Game 2, said the key to Game 2 was coming out with the right defensive energy. Celtics star Jayson Tatum finished with 28 points but had a plus-minus of minus-36, while Jaylen Brown got off to a hot start in the first quarter but was held to just 17 points.
“Jayson and Jaylen got off to a decent start, but we made them take tough shots,” Curry said to Lisa Salters postgame on ABC. “Offensively, we were a little bit more organized with what we were trying to do from the jump. We said we needed to play with desperation. That’s what we did.”
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The Warriors also avoided the fourth-quarter debacle that felled them in Game 1, maintaining the 24-point lead they took into the fourth -- while Tatum and Brown’s efforts couldn’t lead the Celtics back.
They didn’t get much help. Al Horford and Marcus Smart were each held to two points, while Derrick White had 12 points.
“It’s a tough task,” Curry said. “[Brown and Tatum] create a lot for them. But if we can contain the other guys and just try to make it difficult, that carries over to the rest of the game. Our third quarter was great and we got enough separation that the fourth quarter [so it] was a little bit easier tonight.”
Curry was glad that the Warriors “gave ourselves some life in this series,” as a loss Sunday would have meant going to Boston down two-games-to-none.
Golden State Warriors
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Now, the Warriors will still have to win a game on the road to take back home-court advantage.
“Both teams have shown that they can win on the road in these playoffs,” Curry said. “We got to go through it in this series to get a championship. I’m excited about it. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum over to Game 3. It’s going to be fun. It's what the Finals are all about. Wouldn’t want it any other way.”